![]() Safety valves allow gas to escape into the atmosphere rather than overpressure the vessel.ĭuring production well tests, technicians flow reservoir fluids to the surface through a drillstring or a drillstem test (DST) string. Mist extractors remove oil droplets from the gas phase before gas exits through a valve at the top of the vessel and passes through an orifice plate meter (not shown) for measurement. When the fluids reach prescribed levels, the controllers cause the release of gas or air pressure with actuation of pneumatic valves. Mechanical water- and oil-level controller arms, with attached floats lifted by the rising fluid, trigger valves (not shown) that release oil and water along their respective flowlines. Once the oil and water have separated, the oil then flows over a weir into a separate section of the vessel while water remains in the original compartment. This process is enhanced by deflector plates that slow flow velocity and by coalescing plates that gather oil into large droplets. Separators are designed so that produced fluids enter the vessel, where they are retained long enough for the oil to separate and float to the top of the water. Engineers sometimes perform both types of tests.įigure 1. Or they may use a wireline formation tester to capture fluid samples and measure pressure downhole at the zone of interest. They may choose to perform a production well test in which the well is flowed through a temporary completion to a test separator (Figure 1). Operators assess the production potential of wells through several test methods, singularly or in combination. Engineers use these models to understand how reservoir fluids, the formation and the well interact and use that knowledge to optimize completion and development strategies. Well and formation tests are also primary sources of critical data for reservoir models and are the principal means by which engineers confirm or adjust reservoir model parameters. Data that indicate how the formation reacts to pressure increases and decreases during a test can also reveal critical information about the reservoir. Operators also use test data to determine the limits of the reservoir and to plan the most efficient methods for producing wells and fields.ĭuring testing, operators measure formation pressure, characterize the formation fluids and reservoir and determine permeability and skin-damage to the formation incurred during drilling or other well operations. Operators perform these tests to determine whether a formation will produce, or continue to produce, hydrocarbons at a rate that gives a reasonable return on further investments. Well and formation tests, which entail taking measurements while flowing fluids from the reservoir, are conducted at all stages in the life of oil and gas fields, from exploration through development, production and injection. ![]()
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